Chapter 14
Ethical Leadership and Diversity
© 2006 Prentice Hall
Leadership in Organizations
14-1
Learning Objectives
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Understand the difficulties in defining and
assessing ethical leadership
Understand the major conceptions of ethical
leadership and how they relate to current
leadership theories
Understand how gender issues have been studied
and the limitations of this research
Understand the findings in research on gender
differences in leadership
© 2006 Prentice Hall
Leadership in Organizations
14-2
Learning Objectives
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Understand how leadership processes can be
affected by national culture
Understand the difficulties of studying crosscultural leadership and the limitations of research
on this subject
Understand why it is important to manage diversity
and provide equal opportunity to all members of an
organization
© 2006 Prentice Hall
Leadership in Organizations
14-3
Ethical Leadership
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General Conceptions of Ethical Leadership
Diverse Perspectives on Ethical Leadership
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© 2006 Prentice Hall
Burns
Heifetz
Greenleaf
Leadership in Organizations
14-4
Ethical Leadership
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Personal Integrity and Ethical Leadership
Dilemmas in Evaluating Ethical Leadership
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© 2006 Prentice Hall
Influencing Expectations
Influencing Values and Beliefs
Multiple Stakeholders
Leadership in Organizations
14-5
© 2006 Prentice Hall
Leadership in Organizations
14-6
Promoting an Ethical Climate
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Set an example of ethical behavior in your own
actions
Facilitate the development and dissemination of a
code of ethical conduct
Initiate discussions with followers or colleagues
about ethics and integrity
© 2006 Prentice Hall
Leadership in Organizations
14-7
Promoting an Ethical Climate
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Recognize and reward ethical behavior by others
Take personal risks to advocate moral solutions to
problems
Help others find fair and ethical solutions to
conflicts
Initiate support services (e.g., ethics hotline, online
advisory group)
© 2006 Prentice Hall
Leadership in Organizations
14-8
Opposing Unethical Practices
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Refuse to share in the benefits provided by
unethical activities
Refuse to accept assignments that involve
unethical activities
Try to discourage unethical actions by others
Speak out publicly against unethical or unfair
policies in the organization
© 2006 Prentice Hall
Leadership in Organizations
14-9
Opposing Unethical Practices
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Oppose unethical decisions and seek to get them
reversed
Inform proper authorities about dangerous
products or harmful practices
Provide assistance to others who oppose
unethical decisions or practices
© 2006 Prentice Hall
Leadership in Organizations
14-10
Ethical Leadership
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Determinants of Ethical Leadership
Future Research on Ethical Leadership
© 2006 Prentice Hall
Leadership in Organizations
14-11
Gender and Leadership
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Sex-Based Discrimination
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© 2006 Prentice Hall
Implicit Theories
Stereotypes and Role Expectations
Feminine Advantage
Leadership in Organizations
14-12
Gender and Leadership
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Sex-Based Discrimination
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Other Explanations
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© 2006 Prentice Hall
A lack of opportunity to gain experience and visibility in types
of positions that would facilitate advancement
Higher standards of performance for women than for men
Exclusion of women from informal networks that aid
advancement
Lack of encouragement and opportunity for developmental
activities
Leadership in Organizations
14-13
Gender and Leadership
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Sex-Based Discrimination
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Other Explanations
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© 2006 Prentice Hall
Lack of opportunity for effective mentoring
Difficulties created by competing family demands
A lack of strong action by top management to ensure equal
opportunity
Intentional efforts by some men to retain control of the most
powerful positions for themselves
Leadership in Organizations
14-14
Leadership in Different Cultures
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Importance of Cross-Cultural Research
Cultural Influences on Leadership Behavior
Types of Research and Difficulties
Cross Cultural Differences in Leadership
The Globe Project
© 2006 Prentice Hall
Leadership in Organizations
14-15
Types of Research and Difficulties
Cross-Cultural Research Questions
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Differences in the conceptualization of leadership behavior,
as defined by factor structures or leadership prototypes
Differences in beliefs about effective leadership behavior
Differences in the actual pattern of leadership behavior in
each country
Differences in the relationship of leadership behavior to
outcomes such as subordinate satisfaction, motivation,
and performance
© 2006 Prentice Hall
Leadership in Organizations
14-16
Types of Research and Difficulties
Methodological Problems
Lack of equivalence of meaning for measures
developed in one country and then used in other
countries
 Confounding effects of demographic and situational
variables that are not controlled by sampling or by
covariance analysis
 Response biases that differ across cultures
 Statistically significant differences that are too weak to
have any practical significance
 Lack of representative samples from which to
generalize about countries with large regional
differences. Leadership in Organizations
© 2006 Prentice Hall
14-17
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© 2006 Prentice Hall
Leadership in Organizations
14-18
Guidelines for Managing Diversity
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Set an example in your own behavior of
appreciation for diversity
Encourage respect for individual differences
Promote understanding of different values, beliefs,
and traditions
Explain the benefits of diversity for the team or
organization
Encourage and support others who promote
tolerance of diversity
© 2006 Prentice Hall
Leadership in Organizations
14-19
Guidelines for Managing Diversity
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Discourage use of stereotypes to describe people
Identify biased beliefs and role expectations for
women or minorities
Challenge people who make prejudiced comments
Speak out to protest against unfair treatment
based on prejudice
Take disciplinary action to stop harassment of
women or minorities
© 2006 Prentice Hall
Leadership in Organizations
14-20